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Environmentalist group says health registry needed

Photo by Scott Goldsmith / The Marcellus Shale Documentary Project

(Harrisburg) -- An environmentalist group says the Corbett administration is moving in the right direction in handling health complaints involving natural-gas drilling, but that more needs to be done.

John Norbeck of PennFuture said the changes announced Monday will improve the department's internal processes. But he says a statewide registry is needed to track environmental health threats and identify trends early on.

Health Secretary Michael Wolf says his department has implemented a written-letter response policy to better document correspondence between the department and people who file complaints.

Other changes include providing information to doctors about how to file environmental health complaints and making the department's website easier to use.

Spokeswoman Holli Senior says the department supports the concept of a registry and is exploring options that include a public-private partnership.

Health Secretary Michael Wolf says changes recommended by an internal working group include providing information to doctors about how to file environmental health complaints and improving the availability of health information on the department's website.

Wolf says the department also has instituted a written-letter response policy in an effort to document correspondence between the department and people who file complaints.

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